Greek Life Leadership Transition Checklist
Introduce the New Leadership
‐Greek Life Office Staff
‐Chapter Advisers
‐Faculty/Staff Advisors
‐Others?
‐The best method of introduction (meeting, email, etc.) will depend on the individuals and
their depth/frequency of interaction you will have with them
‐Be careful not to create bias towards new leadership’s perceptions of staff, advisors, and
resources – your goal is to help them establish a productive working relationship with these
people staff members
Arête Recognition Process
‐Share your previous plans, evaluations, and presentations
‐Involve potential new leaders in the development and submission process
-Meet to review files, Arête process, etc.
‐Encourage new leaders to ask questions and offer your future assistance if they need additional
information
Management
‐Update leaders and members on your SAO Registration Form and Greek Life Recognition Form (Due the first
Friday of every semester @ Greek Life Office)
-Update treasurer information with AS Accounting/bank
‐Update member and officer roster on your group’s web site (if applicable)
‐Encourage new leaders to find ways to enhance their communication and delegation abilities by
participating in a leadership workshop
o These are helpful for both veteran and new leaders
Additional Resources
Resource
Greek Life Office
Phone
898-5396
Resource
Cross-Cultural Leadership Center
Phone
898-4101
CADEC
898-6450
Student Learning Center
898-6839
Safe Place
898-3030
Student Activities Office
898-5396
Health Center
898-5241
EOP
898-6831
UPD
898-5555
Judicial Affairs
898-6897
Greek Life Leadership Transition Checklist
Every year unsuccessful leadership transitions hamper future successes of student groups at the CSU, Chico.
This year please remember that a successful transition is not only the glue that will hold your organization
together from year-to-year but also the fuel that continues to propel them in a forward direction. The good
news is that a successful transition is neither difficult nor very time-consuming. Please remember that all the
following tips may not pertain to your group, but most are relevant and important for the majority of student
groups.
For a successful transition, below is a list of responsibilities for outgoing officers:
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Be sure to review all of the following information with incoming officers:
 Your organization’s history
 CSU, Chico’s policies and procedures
 Your organization’s constitution, mission statement, and officer responsibilities (if the old things
need updating, now is a great time to do that!)
 Review and pass on old records (including meeting agendas and minutes), binder(s), files, notebooks,
copies of documents used for advertising past events, and correspondence (Pass along everything you
got!)
 Officer job descriptions and written expectations for each new officer regarding their role and
responsibilities (offer advice on past successes and mistakes)
 Your organization’s calendar (and any important annual events that non-exec board members might
not know about, i.e. leadership training events and/or budget and bill deadlines)
 Your organization’s status reports on continuing projects. In relation, please be sure to finish any
unfinished business (especially monetary), and if the business cannot be finished, please be sure to
inform new officers—with specific detail—what has been left unfinished
 Your organization’s annual budget, evaluations for projects and events, achievements, and mistakes
 Review important contacts used for past and are using for future events
Be sure to remember the following:
 Update letterhead
 Meeting and event room reservations are through AS for the BMU and SAO for all other rooms
 Show new leadership where your organization’s AS mailbox is located
 Pass on membership lists, mailing lists, computer passwords, phone passwords, accounts, contracts,
keys, addresses, phone numbers, emails, etc.
 Recruit new officers as early as possible. The earlier transition begins the less likely it will be
forgotten at the end of the year. If time allows, offer time for your new officers to shadow you and work
with you to lead the last projects and group meetings
 Sit with your incoming officers and help them plan their first courses of action over their first few
months
Be sure to DO the following:
 Introduce officer to key contact people, especially your group’s advisor(s) and any relevant
supervising staff
 Explain officer role in organization and meetings
 Don’t be afraid to make a group event out of the “changing of the guard” (this can be as simple as a
recognition to outgoing and incoming group members at your last meeting, or as formal as a dinner
celebration/party to energize the group on your upcoming year, events, and leadership)
Transition responsibilities for Incoming Officers:
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Be sure to do ALL of the following:
 Renew organization and/or attending mandatory meetings to access funds
 Understand present and future programs
 Develop a master calendar with meetings, programs, and events
 Update current webpage and social networks with new officer information
 Establish meeting agendas, meeting times, and locations
 Remember to keep well organized and detailed records in the upcoming year so it will be easy to
transition when you recruit and train new leadership
 Begin recruiting and training promising group leaders as early as possible; offer time for your new
officers to shadow you and work with you to lead the last projects and group meetings
 Evaluate with outgoing officers last year’s concerns, achievements, and past goals
 Establish new goals and prioritize
 Plan group goal setting at next meeting
 Try to arrange for new officers to keep in contact over the summer break (if a meeting—in person,
online, or over the phone—is possible, it is worth beginning planning as early as possible for the
upcoming academic year)
 Encourage new officers to attend leadership training
Below there has been included a list of questions and exercises that are important to think about
while training new leadership. It may be helpful to actually write answers to these questions to give
to your incoming officers.
Items for Your Group’s Leadership Notebook
1) What was your best experience in this position?
2) What tips could you give your successor to make things smoother for next year?
3) Name the administrators/staff you found to be helpful in your position.
4) What did you find most difficult in this position?
5) What was the best resource you used in this position?
6) Which offices/departments/student groups did you co-sponsor with that worked well?
7) Please list any projects or ideas you were developing that you would like to see continue.
8) Name one thing you wished you knew when you started the position.
9) Do you think the student body knows of your position and the services your group provides?